First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Yesterday I shot my first buck with a bow. He was no trophy rack-wise, but he had a huge body and I'm happy with him. He was an old buck that's been around for years. I made a 14 yard heart shot. He went about 60 yards and fell within sight.

The thing that is bothering me about all this is that I shot him out of my dad's stand, not mine. Now granted I did have permission to be there, I wasn't squatting. But I'm kind of feeling like I stole my dad's deer. Am I being a girl about this?

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

If you went there with the intention of taking a deer, why feel guilty?

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

If your dad gave you the OK to be there, then no hard feelings. I'm sure he did not say OK to you hunting it with the intention of you going there and shooting anything with nothing but a camera. He said OK with the intent that if something presented a shot, you were going to take it...

Congrats on the first one!

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I'm a girl, I wouldn't feel guilty. ;)

Your dad is probably happy you got your first buck more than he misses the opportunity to bag it himself.

Besides, there are more bucks out there.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Congrats,

If your dad let you hunt it he should be happy for your first bow buck.

If you weren't supposed to hunt it (at that time), well he will probably get over it b/c your his son.

Patrick, you didn't bring the gf with you I see. :D

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

You ain't got nothing to feel guilty about!!!That may have been the one an only time that buck walked by that stand!!!

Deep down your daddy is probaly pleased as punch you killed your first--enjoy the time the First only comes once!!

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I can understand how you feel. I'm gonna be sitting in a friends' woods Thurs. Fri. and Sat. . It'll make the decision on what to shoot tougher for me. He says shoot what I want....but there's a LOT of trust and respect on the line when you hunt another man's woods.

Funny thing is.....I absolutey told him to shoot anything he wants when he's here, hunting. On that side....I see totally how he feels. When you're on the "hunting" side, though....I don't know...it feels "different". Hard to explain.

If I tell my son to sit in a particular stand......I can assure you he won't be the happiest person if he takes a buck, there. No way.

Congrats on your buck.:)

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Dads probably glad you got the old scrub rack..now he can get a real buck!





















I kid..Congrats

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I think your dad will be proud to know he played a small part in you getting your buck. I don't think you have anything to feel guilty about.

Congrats on the buck. Let's see some pics.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I don't think you should feel guilty about taking something that someone offered you. Share your prize with your old man and be proud.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

No, I didn't bring the G/F with me, that's why he came in un-alarmed.

I do think that my dad is happy about it, I don't think it is bothering him.I think it is bothering me b/c he taught me all this, he is soooo much better at the hunting, and mechanics and everything else, I feel like he deservesit. And, it's been awhile since he's harvested a deer, whereas I've had a few, and my sister has even had one. I think I just feel bad that he hasn't got one in awhile, and I feel like I snaked it from him.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I think you should feel guilty. . . . about not posting any pics of your first.


Congrats.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

As a father of two hunting age sons (11 and 15), I can assure you I get more enjoyment out of their bucks than my own. I have the rest of my life to hunt, my time with them here at home is limited, they will be out on their own in the blink of an eye. I cherish the moments we have. I cannot speak for your father but if you were my son I would be proud.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Patrick,

I hear you on feeling like you didn't do the work, but your chance to do the work will come. :D
You still had to be still, get in position and make the shot without being seen - not the easiest thing to do with a bow.

You need to post the taking your girlfriend hunting rules on this forum. :D

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I'll see what I can do about those rules, LOL

I'll get some pics up hopefully this afternoon.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Cowboy up

"The alternate trophy is in the ladies room":D

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I wouldn't feel guilty.
He is probably just as excited for you as you are.
That's all part of it.
Got any pics?

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

My dad would put me in his stand a lot while I was growing up.

Trust me, he's proud of you and happy for you.

I'm 26 now and my dad still get's more excited when I harvest a doe or a spike then he does when he harvests a trophy 10 point.

BTW, congrats!

P.S. "The alternate's trophy is in the Ladies room" LOL... CLASSIC!

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

When I firststarted out my dad would always put me in the spot where he thought I would have the most success. I'm sure your dad is happy that you got your first buck. No reason to feel guilty

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Go do some scouting and hang him a stand, wouldnt it be sweet to put him on a nice buck??

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

To answer your question ....... YES you are being a girl.

Congrats on the buck, lets see some pics of the beast that changed a strapping young lad into a flower picking girl. Just kiddin ya.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

If your dad is a normal one, he's probably more excited than you are. I love to see my dad when I call him to help track one of mine. And I can definitely remember when he was with me on tracking my first buck. It was as much of a trip for him as me. There should be no guilty feeling in something as pure as hunting.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Your 25 years old "you stand Mooch" Get out there and hang your own stand :D
Congrats on your first!

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

My son took his first deer at 9 years old with a bow. He was in a stand I had builtto hold both he and Iso he would be safe. The look in his eyes when he looked over at me and said "I HIT IT!!" will be in my mind forever. I had tears in my eyes for an hour afterwards. That little doe means more to me than any dear I have ever and will ever harvest. Relax, I am sure your dad is happy for you. Congrats on your first buck.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Congrats! now go return the favor for your dad!

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Don't feel guilty. I would never be upset if one of my boys shot a deer out of my stand.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

To clear it up, this wasn't my first buck ever, just first buck with a bow.

Also, I know he's very happy for me, I just feel like I may have taken one away from him. But no one is mad or anything, I'd just like to see him get a nice big one. So I guess I'll try to help him out with that. There has been a nice 10 and a nice 8 around, so we'll try to get him one of those.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Here's those pics, sorry it took so long to get them up.

He's no "book trophy" but he's my trophy. Technically only a four point. One point broke, another less than 1 inch. But he's an old Wiley guy. So old he only had his bottom front teeth left.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

If he said you can hunt there thenyou shouldn't feel guilty. I am assuming you sat in that stand with the intent to shoot something? Besides...i am sure there are plenty of other bucks around for your Dad to shoot.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Ok, apparently those pics didn't go through. It said "uploaded successfully" on it. Oh well, I'll try again.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Trust me when i shot one out of my dads stand i felt the same way but then i met up with him and my feelings were put to rest bc he was as excited for me as i was for myself

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

ok you feel bad cuz you went to this stand to hunt and are feeling bad cuz you were sucessful.


You are being a girl about this.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Any deer with a bow, that you are happy with, is a trophy.

Dont worry about you shooting all the deer in your dads blind. Believe me, there are plenty more there. And if you took a small buck, you saved him the big boy that will be running those grounds when the rut sets in.;)

No need to worry about anything. My favorite blind usually produces several quallity deer each year. I shot some, my brother, and friends will shot some from it as well.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

i would not feel guilty neither should you if you did not have permisson to hunt that stand then i wouldsay yes you should but you had the right to be there and the right to shot that buck

what if you were in your stand 200 yards away and shot him

i would feel guilty if i was your dad and you did not shoot him

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

I can kinda relate to ya. I set up a buddy of mine from out of town in a stand of mine last season. He ended up taking a nice buck from it and then felt really bad about it because he thought he had taken my buck. I didnt care at all taht he shot it. I was probably more excited about him getting it than he was. Im sure your dad will be proud of you for getting the buck

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

i know the point of me setting up was to shoot at a deer. I would just like to see my dad get a deer too. So, like i said, I'll try to get him set up on something.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Ok, it said it uploaded...let's see

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

im glad to see the safety strap in the background.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Between my Dad and two brothers, we have quite a few stands out in the woods. We consider the stands community property and any of us can hunt any unoccupied stand at any given time and shoot any deer we choose. I'm a Dad too and can assure you that you are not the happiest person about your kill. Your Pops is.

RE: First buck....Feeling guilty
 

Yes, you are right, he is proud. And we also treat our stands as "community" stands.

And Jim, I always have my harness on in the tree. I actually used it todrag the deer out of the woods. Strapped it right around his neck and started pulling like a mule. I had a hill that was relatively steep and about 45 yards to the top. I thought I was gonna die. LOL

You can see in this pic that one point is broken off, and another is less than an inch long. But like I said he was really old. Only the bottom front teeth, and you can see how gray his face and muzzle is.